Austin Sigg, who is accused of killing Jessica Ridgeway (Photo provided by Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office)

The Colorado Supreme Court acted in the best interests of justice Thursday when it reversed the ruling of a judge who had tried to hold a closed-door hearing for the accused killer of Jessica Ridgeway.

The defendant, Austin Sigg, is charged with kidnapping the 10-year-old girl on her way to school and later killing her.

It is a horrific crime, and one that deserves to be pursued with the utmost diligence, both in terms of justice for the victim and ensuring the accused has a fair trial.

Both of those goals are served by holding the proceedings in public.

The public can hear the evidence against the accused and evaluate whether the charges are just. Friends, family and others interested in justice for Jessica can determine for themselves what the evidence says.

Furthermore, the statements by a police detective that tied the identification of Sigg as a suspect with information gleaned from a neighbor and Sigg’s mother — who each contacted authorities separately — also underscores the importance of information from the public. It’s an important message in these days when too many people look the other way out of fear, disgust or disinterest.

This case will be in the criminal justice for some time to come, and it is important that as much of it as is possible be conducted in a public fashion.

Jeffco District Attorney Scott Storey has asked that a hearing for the 17-year-old accused of killing Jessica Ridgeway be open to the public, an encouraging development in a high-profile case.

A judge had previously made a rare — and in our opinion extreme — decision that the public wouldn’t be allowed to attend a preliminary hearing for Austin Sigg, accused of abducting and killing the 10-year-old Westminster girl.

In a motion filed in the case, Storey maintained court hearings can only be closed only in “extraordinary circumstances,” such as protecting the identity of a sexual assault victim.

It’s heartening to see a prosecutor in such an important case argue in favor of the public interest in seeing the judicial system in action. Too often, such matters pit the press against prosecutors, or defense attorneys when in truth we all have the same end — to see justice served.

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On Friday afternoon, law enforcement confirmed the worst. The dismembered body found in an Arvada open space park is that of missing 10-year-old Jessica Ridgeway.

Our hearts go out to her family and friends.

As the investigation continues, there is fear that her killer still walks among us. Police have searched 500 homes and 1,000 vehicles. They’ve followed 800 leads, and they’re tracking down registered sex offenders.

The perpetrator must be caught not only to exact justice for Jessica, but to ensure this person cannot harm another child. Investigators are imploring members of the public to call 303-658-4336 if they have information that could advance the investigation.

Law enforcement officials look for evidence Thursday in Arvada where a body was found. (RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post)

The gruesome news that has emerged in the search for missing Jessica Ridgeway is chilling indeed.

Police are reporting that in their efforts to find the 10-year-old girl, they’ve found human body parts in an open space area in Arvada, about six miles from where the Westminster girl was last seen walking to school.

At the time of this blog posting, police had not identified the body.

We are among those sickened by the potential of what may have transpired, and hold out hope for the Jessica’s return.

The case of a missing 10-year-old from Westminster so touched metro area residents that 800 of them volunteered on a chilly and rainy Saturday to help search for the girl.

“This is an absolutely unbelievable outpouring of support,” Westminster Police Chief Lee Birk told a room of volunteers, according to a story in the Post. “We accomplished more today than we thought we ever could. We certainly did not anticipate this kind of outpouring of support.”

Jessica Ridgeway disappeared as she walked to Witt Elementary School Friday. The child’s backpack turned up in a neighborhood in Superior sometime later.

As the search continued Monday afternoon, we join others in hoping for a positive resolution of this troubling case.

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Vincent Carroll is The Denver Post's editorial page editor. He has been writing commentary on politics and public policy in Colorado since 1982 and was originally with the Rocky Mountain News, where he was also editor of the editorial pages until that newspaper gave up the ghost in 2009.

Guidelines: The Post welcomes letters up to 150 words on topics of general interest. Letters must include full name, home address, day and evening phone numbers, and may be edited for length, grammar and accuracy.

To reach the Denver Post editorial page by phone: 303-954-1331

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